RWBY: Crossroads of Light and Dark
by Marsa The Redeemed
Summary: Companion Story to my Light and Dark story-verse. Covers events that aren't shown in the main arcs. Recommend reading first arc Path of Light and Dark to understand some context
1. Chapter 1

RWBY: Crossroads of Light and Dark

Side story I: Licht Reunion

A/N: So after finishing the first arc I've been playing around with a few ideas dealing with the Light and Dark series. For now I'll do the prequel arc as well as side stories which had been planned for the first arc but never made it due to various factors. I hope you'll support both stories with the same enthusiasm that you gave the main series, enjoy.

A/N: This particular story takes place between chapters seventeen and eighteen of Path of Light and Dark, it wasn't uploaded because it basically served as nothing but filler with no plot substance at the time.

* * *

 _Valethornia Academy_

As Team MTAL left the infirmary together Malyganya Oregenera, the teams leader felt the hair on the back of her neck rise. Her finely tuned senses alerted her to a dangerous presence as she scanned the area. Seconds later she saw Roanos exit a room further down the hall and for a second her blood froze.

She knew he had been at the first trial but thought he would've already taken out his target by now. Unless he was on a recruitment mission his presence here didn't make any sense. Roanos was followed by a young-looking boy and female with dusty-red colored hair.

 _That's his team no doubt._ Malyganya thought to herself as she allowed her muscles to relax. She knew that Roanos could be wild in combat but beneath his feral exterior he was quite intelligent and cunning. What surprised her though were the injuries on Roanos. She knew how strong he was and there weren't many who could best him in combat.

Her unasked question was answered once the fourth person of the team exited the room. Malyganya finally understood why she was sensing danger. Down the hall bringing up the rear of the team was a young woman with long voluminous dusky auburn colored hair. She stood a little above average height for her age and gender.

The girl saw Malyganya and her team before motioning for Roanos and the two unknown people to follow her. Malyganya felt her heartbeat quicken but knew that she couldn't back down from this so with steeled determination she led her team to meet with the blast from her past. The distance between them wasn't much but to Malyganya time and space may have well been warped as she stepped with one foot in front of the other.

Soon the two young women stood face to face, Malyganya looking up at the olive skinned beauty while the girl stared down with a soft smile at her.

"Hello, I'm Sable Agrotera and I lead Team SLVR." The girl introduced herself extending her hand to Malyganya.

"Malyganya Oregenera, pleasure to meet you." Malyganya returned the greeting with a smile.

"TAZ!" Malyganya heard the redhead cry out before the girl in question jumped Taz and hugged him.

"Hey Lavi, glad to see you guys passed your second trial." Taz said to the girl.

The girl, Lavi laughed and scratched her head sheepishly.

"Yea, about that…" Lavi started trailing off.

"We haven't taken it yet." Sable told them.

Amber looked at Roanos and shrank back when the large man caught sight of her. The last member of Team SLVR came to her rescue at that point and began moving his hands quickly.

"This is Viridian O'Neill. He doesn't speak." Lavi introduced her teammate.

"He's using sign language to communicate." Sable explained.

Amber looked from Viridian and his hands to the large man who had intimidated her.

"So Roanos isn't going to introduce himself to the others?" Layla asked with look of displeasure on her face.

Malyganya instantly shot Layla a fierce glare as her eyes shifted from normal to black before going to normal again.

Sable tilted her head to the side in slight confusion.

"You've met Roanos already?" she asked although Malyganya could tell she was lying.

"Yes, during the first trial…it wasn't pleasant." Layla answered.

Malyganya sighed and shook her head.

"Roanos Stormcloud, that's all you need to know about me." Roanos introduced himself before leaning against a nearby wall.

"We've introduced ourselves and it seems we know about some of the members from each other's team. How about I learn who you two are though?" Sable asked pointing to Layla and Amber.

"Layla Yuki, official huntress-in-training." Layla said crossing her arms as she and Roanos never broke their gaze on one another.

"I a-a-am Am-amb-Amber, Amber Is-iso-Isolon." The timid young girl managed to squeak out her name. Taz cast Amber a hidden quizzical glance. It was strange to him that this girl had a badass side to her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Sable told the members of Team MTAL.

"I don't remember seeing you at the entrance assembly, or with the rest of the first years when we were loaded on to the trains." Taz said as the two teams began walking down the hallway.

Viridian walked with Amber while Layla and Roanos both stayed near the back. Lavi walked next to Taz while the team leaders walked at the front. Sable laughed softly at Taz's statement before turning slightly to face him.

"I'm not surprised that you didn't. I'm a second year student." Sable explained.

Her response caused the members of Team MTAL to almost stop and stare. They looked from her to the rest of Team SLVR with confusion.

"What do you mean? You're leading a team of first year students?" Layla asked, for clarification.

"Yes, I'm one of the academy's best students. I've excelled so much that I was granted permission to construct my own team." Sable explained.

"If you could make your own team, why did you choose a bunch of first year students, surely it would benefit you better to have teammates of your own level with you." Taz stated through his question.

"I want to help the newer students. I figure with my extra year of experience I could make things easier for newcomers." Sable answered with a soft smile.

The group was already out of the infirmary and making their way through the halls of the main building. Since they had nothing but free time Roanos told them he was going to leave for a bit and check out the grounds. Taz, Lavi, and Viridian decided to go off together as well and see if they could find Team ORCJ. This left Sable, Malyganya, Amber, and Layla alone with one another.

Catching a glance from Sable out the corner of her eye, Malyganya turned to her teammates with a soft smile.

"Why don't you two go hang out and get to know one another better? It'll be like a team building exercise." She told them.

Layla and Amber looked at one another with slightly confused expressions.

"You're not going to come with us?" Layla questioned.

"I'll catch up, I wanted to speak with Sable for a bit and probably get some advice on leading a team." Malyganya told her friend.

Layla nodded and wrapped her arm around Amber's shoulder before half-dragging the young girl with her. Now that the two leaders were alone,  
Malyganya could once again feel the creeping fingers of fear coiling around her.

"Sister of darkness, who was lost her way on the path of light, welcome the embrace of your elder with an open heart." Sable spoke.

"I'm no longer a sister of the light or the dark Sable. I left the organization remember." Malyganya said turning to face the older female.

The hallways were empty which left them alone in their staring contest.

"Roanos said I'm not his target. So since Dax and Kyle are dead, and failed to capture me, I'm guessing you are the alternate hunter." Malyganya spoke.

Sable tilted her head slightly looking at Malyganya.

"I've received no kill or capture order for you Malyganya." Sable stated causing Malyganya to relax slightly.

"So it just so happens that four, scratch that, two members of the Lucidiores Umbras are here at the same time as me?" Malyganya questioned wishing she had her sword with her right now.

"As far as I know, no one has been assigned to you. My mission is recruitment and as long as you stay out of my way we won't have any issues. Out of respect to you once being my fellow sister of light I give you this one warning. There won't be a second one." Sable told Malyganya with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Roanos gave me roughly the same warning, what is it you guys are planning?" Malyganya asked as she and Sable began to walk.

The only response she got in return was Sable smiling and silence.

"You say you didn't know anyone was assigned to me but you didn't seem surprised to learn that Dax and Kyle are dead." Malyganya spoke with a slightly accusing tone.

"We were all part of the Licht but that doesn't mean I knew their mission or they mine. You telling me they are dead merely answered question I hadn't thought to ask." Sable replied

"We don't have to be friends but don't make me your enemy." Sable said as her voice became cool and even.

"You can't blow your cover here, especially if you're doing recruitment." Malyganya shot with a small smirk.

"I won't blow my cover but I have resources at my disposal that could make life extremely unpleasant for you and your team." Sable threatened as the duo found their way outside.

Malyganya's eyes flashed before turning black as she glared in Sable's direction

"Leave them out of this, or I will break you." The psychic growled causing small vibrations nearby.

Sable stood unaffected.

"Like I said, stay out of my way and we won't have an issue." Sable spoke her voice as even and cool as before.

Malyganya knew she couldn't intimidate the older student but she had to try for her team's sake. Deactivating her semblance the young woman's eyes returned to normal as she looked off into the distance. Sable smiled and turned to walk away.

"Clever girl, you make sure to stay in your place now and I will stay in mine which is well above you." Sable said as she left Malyganya alone at the academy's entrance.

As she stood alone, Malyganya felt tears roll down her face. Her fists were clenched so tight in anger that her nails had dug into her palms and caused them to bleed. Sable had once been one of her closest friends but even then she had made it clear the power difference between them.

 _If I'm going to protect my team then I'll have to get stronger, much stronger than I am now._ Malyganya thought to herself before wiping away her tears. The faces of her teammates flashed in her mind causing Malyganya to smile slightly. _I don't have to get strong alone anymore. I'll get stronger together with them._ She silently vowed.

Filled with a renewed sense of purpose Malyganya pulled out her scroll and contacted Layla. After getting the location of her teammates the young woman immediately headed off to them knowing that whatever Sable, Roanos, or the rest of Lucidiores Umbras had in store that she would find a way to stop them.

* * *

A/N: The length and tone never matched what I was going for which is why the chapter was originally scrapped. Drop a review let me know what you think. Prequel story is going to premier soon.


	2. Chapter 2

RWBY: Crossroads of Light and Dark

Side story II: Double-Down

A/N: Takes place after last side story but before chapter eighteen of POLAD. Got scrapped because of romantic subplot it was supposed to start between Crimson and Malyganya which was changed to a rivalry because at this point she already had two love plots going on and didn't need a third. Also couldn't really find an appropriate spot to start that particular subplot.

* * *

 _Valethornia Academy - Combat Arena_

Orpheus looked around gigantic gymnasium with wide eyes. This was the first time he had seen it. There was an obstacle course along with various tracks and weight training equipment. He saw machines off to the side that he didn't recognize but was interested to know more about them. Looking to his left Orpheus felt heat rise to his face as he saw Malyganya standing only a few feet away.

Ever since their first meeting Orpheus found himself often thinking of the mysterious young woman. She captivated him and after hearing more about her Orpheus found he had a certain admiration for Malyganya. She came from a very prestigious and well known family of huntsmen and huntresses. She wasn't stuck up though and treated everyone the same.

One of their instructors was going over what exactly the class would entail but Orpheus didn't really pay attention until he felt something hit the back of his head. Turning to see what, or rather who had hit him Orpheus saw Jett and the rest of Team ORCJ behind him with the rest of the teams. Leaders had been called to stand at the front of the assembly while their teammate stood behind them.

Jett was snickering and held up some small paper balls. Orpheus was quickly able to deduce that Jett had sent a ball at him using his semblance and shook his head at the childish antics of his friend. Turning to face the instructor Orpheus sighed.

"Now then, the meat of this class; mock combat exercise." The woman said and she saw everyone's eyes light up.

"For the first half of the year you'll engage in mock battles consisting of singles, doubles, and full teams. All three categories will be tracked on their respective leaderboards. In addition the scores you receive will affect your overall grading for the year. The team score will also be affected by singles and doubles which is important for the second half of the year in which the top teams will be allowed to shadow a huntsman or huntress for a live mission." The instructor told them all.

AT this the crowd of students began cheering. Orpheus looked to his side and saw that Malyganya remained still but had a small smile on her face. She may not show wear her emotions on her sleeve but she wasn't a robot either. Her quiet and reserve nature reflected well with her teammates.

"Alright then, without further delay we've already picked the first match of the year for you guys based on how you did during your trials." A different instructor called out.

"Team ORCJ's Crimson Carmine and Roane Grant will face off in a doubles match against Team MTAL's Malyganya Oregenera and Layla Yuki." The new instructor, a man called out.

The crowd instantly went into a quiet frenzy as they whispered amongst themselves. _So I'll get to see his abilities up close and personal. Shame I wasn't able to talk about their second trial in more detail._ Malyganya thought to herself as she walked up to the instructor. From the crowd of students she noticed Layla, Roane, and Crimson also approach.

"Ok then the rules of combat are simple. We'll be doing a best three out of fives match. No Semblances are allowed for the first round and we'll be sticking to strictly hand to hand." The instructor began once the four students had reached him.

"The second round will allow for melee training weapons use but still restrict semblances. Round three, which may be the last round, will introduce ranged weaponry into the mix. If by chance you make it to the fourth round, both melee and ranged weapons will be allowed for use. Only during the fifth round will the semblance restriction be removed." He continued looking at each of the young adults in front of him.

"Rounds will last five minutes, until submission, or knockout. We may intervene at our discretion and stop a match early if we believe it too dangerous but other than that you are free to fight as you would normally." The instructor finished and received acknowledgement from the four teenagers in the form of a nod.

"You've got three minutes to change into the gym uniform and strategize. Good luck to you all." He told them.

"Thanks but I won't need it." Both Crimson and Malyganya said at the same time before looking at one another, Malyganya with a hint of surprise while Crimson kept a stoic expression.

Heading towards the locker room Roane immediately pulled Crimson ahead and began a hushed conversation with his teammate. Layla smiled at Malyganya as the duo also began to converse.

"That Crimson guy is intense. What do you think about him?" Layla asked.

"He is skilled, and has had training for a long time. MY thoughts on him tell me he'll be the more dangerous of the two during this battle. We'll need to isolate him from Roane. We don't know how well their teamwork is but we'll have to go under the assumption its equal to ours if they were able to pass their second trial with enough skill to be chosen to fight us."

Layla sighed and laughed at roughly the same time, which resulted in the strangest sound Malyganya had ever heard.

"That's not what I meant. I saw the way he was looking at you, not unlike a certain lyre playing musician we both know." Layla stated with a suggestive look in her eyes.

"You may need to get your eyes checked Layla. Crimson wasn't 'checking me out' he was sizing me up. He knows I know he's a threat. Just like I know he knows I'm a threat. If any looks were given it was just to strategize the best tactic from what we could infer." Malyganya explained as the two females began to change out of their normal uniforms into their mock battle attire.

Layla smirked and shrugged playfully before adjusting her leotard. The battle attire the school provided was the only female clothing Layla had deigned to wear but only because the boys out felt uncomfortable against her chest. After the leotard was the battle skirt. It was made of adjustable material that was both extremely flexible and tough. Layla wore hers down to the middle of her thigh while Malyganya wore hers down to the knees. The skirt was sky-blue while the leotard was white with sky blue stripes. Finally, the small sky-blue breastplate made from the same material of the skirt was put on along with their combat shoes.

Malyganya stretched around in the outfit for a bit ensuring she'd have full use of her mobility abilities. Satisfied she wouldn't be restricted by the clothes Malyganya nodded to Layla and together they left the changing area. When they arrived back to the area they saw that both Roane and Crimson were already in the ring that had been set up for them.

"Ladies, get your butts in the ring." The instructor ordered with a slightly raised voice.

Layla immediately began flipping towards the stage before somersaulting into the ring much to the approval of the students watching. Malyganya tilted her head slightly as she walked up to the ring before lifting herself with telekinesis and floating the rest of the way into the ring.

"Show off." Layla joked giving Malyganya a playful shove.

"Says the acrobat" Malyganya shot back with a small smirk.

"Round One: Hand to Hand combat, start!" the instructor announced and immediately Crimson was running towards the two girls with Roane right behind him.

"Holy shit he's fast!" Layla exclaimed as Crimson reached them in seconds and began to fight both females at the same time.

The young man opened with a surprisingly accurate butterfly kick that landed on both his targets causing them to stumble. Dazed slightly by the attack the girls were easy targets for Crimson to continue his assault. Crossing his arms over one another Crimson gripped Malyganya's right wrist with his left hand and took Layla's left arm in his right hand before pulling them apart and to the side with Malyganya looping beneath her partner.

From the hold he had both females in Crimson then proceeded to kick out at them. First he attacked Malyganya with a low kick to her shin forcing the female off-balance. With the same leg he stretched back and kicked Layla in the lower abdomen before swinging the leg back for another kick to Malyganya. This time he caught her in the side, destabilizing her even further.

As Malyganya slumped a bit from the hits Crimson delivered a devastating high kick to Layla which sent the girl flying backwards a few feet. She didn't hit the ground however as Roane caught and slammed her with the momentum of the kick into the ground. He didn't release her however as he lifted Layla into the air and slammed her back into the ground. Lifting Layla once more Roane spun twice before tossing the female to the far end of the ring. Smiling that their strategy had worked Roane began to walk over to the dazed Layla.

Malyganya was only slightly aware that Crimson had switched his grip on her arm as he placed his leg behind her head and kicked her from behind before quickly following up with two kicks to her face and a jump kick from his balancing leg over her arm to the side of her head. The final hit from the combo sent Malyganya sliding across the floor of the ring.

She hadn't expected Crimson to be as fast as he was and it had cost her. Quickly getting to her feet Malyganya was ready for Crimson's second assault as she blocked both his punches and dodged the spin kick that followed. Leaping forwards Malyganya punched Crimson in the face, hard and caused her opponent to spin from the hit before laying into him with everything she had.

With two quick right jabs to Crimson's face and left-side sternum the young woman followed up her assault with a left straight to her opponents face before delivering a powerful right cross. Crimson stumbled from the combo but was immediately back in the action. Running in, he and Malyganya began to trade blows back and forth.

Crimson landed two kicks and a punishing double-handed smash before being struck by Malyganya's lightning quick jabs to the face and a spinning high kick the threw him to the ground. Getting to his feet Crimson was surprised to find Malyganya was already on top of him. He struck out but she struck faster with a powerful punch from less than an inch away.

The blow was followed up with a powerful elbow blow as Crimson crumpled to the ground gasping for air. Malyganya knelt down and grabbed Crimson by his hair before lifting his face to watch her.

"You're good Crimson, but predictable. Your fighting is rigid and militant. You telegraphed your attack to me which is why my combo to your solar plexus was so effective. Right now your diaphragm is partially paralyzed which is making it hard for you to breath." She told the young man before delivering s series of punches to his side.

"By the way as you pass out let's just say I crushed your liver." Crimson heard Malyganya's voice fading as the world turned black.

On the opposite side of the ring Layla and Roane were still fighting. After being tossed and separated Layla had quickly reverted to her general practice of hit first talk later. Roane was more tactical in his approach and of the two remained less damaged.

Roane noticed that the fighting behind him had stopped and sighed before focusing his attention to Layla.

"You know you could always surrender." Layla said with a confident smile on her face.

Roane laughed and loosened his stance lightly.

"Not a chance, I'm going for the win." He shot back challengingly.

Layla nodded and punched her fists together.

"Perfect, I wouldn't have it any other way!" she exclaimed charging in.

Roane had expected this however and merely swept Layla off her feet with a low kick but before she could hit the ground he followed up with a kick to the side of her stomach that launched the female into the air. As she rose Layla could only clench her teeth in anger Roane jumped and flipped before slamming his heel into Layla's back and sending her crashing down onto the mat.

Malyganya was on Roane in seconds after he landed and struck him with three blows before her arm was caught from behind. She felt someone's arm snake underneath her right armpit and across her chest as she became trapped in that person's grasp.

"When you knock someone down, you should make sure they are knocked out." Malyganya heard Crimson's voice in her ear.

She had raised her left hand to deliver a chop to Roane but Crimson's arm looped hers and he held her at the wrist while his right arm which had put her arm in an awkward position clamped around and held her. Roane smiled and ran behind the two of them before lifting and throwing both Crimson and Malyganya into the air.

From their position Crimson was able to maneuver their bodies so that they were coming in at a dead drop.

"This is the end for you Malyganya." Crimson whispered.

"No, it isn't, it's the end for you!" Malyganya exclaimed as she swung her legs forwards then back and caused them to flip. With no time to correct their bodies Crimson took the brunt of the impact as they hit the ground. Roane looked at the duo in surprise before hearing a sound behind him.

"Surprise Mother Fucker!" Layla exclaimed as she smashed her fist directly into Roane's face.

Roane had been hit. He knew pain and how to take a blow. Layla's punch was like nothing he had ever felt before as he was lifted off his feet and thrown clear from the ring.

"Round One Over, point to Malyganya and Layla." The instructor called out.

Layla walked over to where her partner and Crimson lay sprawled on the mat before crying out for the instructors to help. The two fighters were both unconscious and from the look of things had each dislocated a shoulder.

"Wow, this is the first time a match has been decided with one round. I think we're going to like this batch of first years." The first instructor, the female said with a smile as the various other instructors loaded both Crimson and Malyganya onto stretchers to take them to the infirmary.

"Alright then, Team MTAL takes the first win of the year in the doubles matches. The rest of you hit the lockers and get changed. We're going to run some drills." The male instructor told the remaining students as he smiled broadly.

* * *

A/N: Thus the rivalry begins.


	3. Chapter 3

RWBY: Crossroads of Light and Dark

Chapter III: Pride and Prejudice

A/N: This covers various small events that happened at different times between chapters nineteen and twenty-two of POLAD. Because each event never formulated a full chapter they were scrapped but referenced to later in the story.

* * *

 _Valethornia Courtyard_

Viridian shrunk as another blow landed on him. This was currently his thirteenth beating he had been on the receiving end of. His team, or rather Roanos had just finished mopping the floor with another team of students during mock battles. Everyone knew Roanos was too strong to take on so they opted for the torture and torment of Viridian. Doubling over from a knee to the stomach Viridian cried out in pain and raised one of his hands in a gesture asking for mercy while begging the students to stop hurting him.

"Look at the freak. He can't even beg like a normal person." One of the tormentors laughed.

"Duh duh duh, stobbit!" another one mocked, imitating Viridian's speech.

The deaf teen couldn't understand what was being said as all the sound he perceived only came back to him as a dull buzzing thump. It was their expressions that allowed him to understand he was being made fun of. The sick twisted grins and smiles. The way their mouths formed the shapes need to mimic his way of speech. Every sign of body language was over-exerted and Viridian could do nothing but blush deeply feeling the heat of embarrassment on his face and ears.

Curling into a ball Viridian tried to shield himself as the bullies began to stomp and kick at him. _Please let this stop soon. Get bored and leave me alone!_ Viridian thought to himself. Suddenly he felt himself lifted from the ground and staring in one of his tormentors' face. The boy had a look of pure hatred expressed on his face which only caused Viridian to try and back away.

"This is your own fault for being such a fucking freak. You and your freaky team should all just go fucking die." the boy spat as he lifted Viridian before slamming him onto the ground.

Viridian coughed violently as he writhed in pain from the impact. He had tried to avoid going out in the open where he had been caught numerous times before. The bullies however had spread out and cornered him this time. Looking up at the sky Viridian felt his vision fading as he was lifted up once more.

 _Now comes the pièce de résistance._ Viridian thoughts passed through his mind at a slow pace as he slipped further into unconsciousness but he knew from the way his body was being handled that he was being taken to the flagpole. Suddenly pain erupted throughout Viridian's body, shocking him out of the semi-conscious state he had been in.

Looking around Viridian saw Roanos fighting off his tormentors. The larger boy had engaged the entire group by himself. Viridian saw Roanos shoulder check somebody in the chest before jumping and delivering a powerful side kick to another. One boy tried to run but Roanos grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before lifting and throwing the unfortunate person into three others.

At this point others also tried to escape from Roanos but were stopped by the reach he had over them. Roanos was able to grab four other students with two in each hand by their clothes before he began to beat the ever living hell out of them. the few that had escaped his wrath didn't even look back as their companions became victims to Roanos's wrath.

Roanos showed little to no restraint as he slammed his targets into anything he could from the flagpole, to the floor and even each other. Viridian had shakenly gotten to his feet and moved a safe distance away. He could only watch in awe as Roanos made little work of the bullies. When they group of teenagers had been dealt with and left as little more than blubbering and bleeding sacks Roanos turned to look at Viridian.

"Sable says you have to stay by me from now on. You're too fucking weak to protect yourself." Roanos stated before walking past Viridian.

Realizing that his deaf teammate wouldn't have been able to understand anything he said Roanos groaned, almost like a roar and turned back to his teammate. Viridian only looked back with a blank stare. Roanos quickly tried to sign what he meant, repeating the message as he did so.

Viridian's expression in response to the message was as Roanos expected it to be. A mixture of embarrassment and self-pity that Roanos didn't have time to deal with so he instead grabbed Viridian by the shoulder and began to lead him away from the scene of violence.

Viridian allowed Roanos to direct him while silently vowing to himself that he'd get stronger.

 _Locker Room_

Jett ran out of the shower area first with Roane right behind him. In front of them the two teenagers saw a group of seven boys with dark expressions on their faces. Without a word the group charged at the duo, leaping the benches that separated them.

Jett, being the faster of the two ORCJ members engaged in combat first. He propelled himself forward with a high knee to one of the targets' face there was a sickening crunch as the boy's nose broke from the impact of the blow. Either he had tremendously low aura or he hadn't recovered from whatever training he had participated in. Either way Jett wasn't going to let up on an easy win as he manipulated the wind currents around his body to perform a spin kick from the high knee and throwing his target backwards.

As the boy crashed into a set of lockers the remainder of the attacking group surrounded Jett. Their mistake in doing so was that some of them left themselves exposed to Roane. The larger Team ORCJ member barreled into two of the strangers and knocked one to the side while the other was pinned beneath him.

"Get off me you faggot!" the boy cried out as he tried to punch Roane away.

"I'm going to enjoy this more than I should" Roane spoke aloud as he began to punch away at the teenager's face.

Although Roane's frame was smaller and not as stocky as the teenager beneath him, the huntsman-in-training knew how to use gravity and momentum to his advantage. Striking out he landed a savage combination of blows against the teen before locking his target in an armbar. With a tug and massive application of pressure Roane heard the arm break before letting go and getting to his feet to deal with the others who had decided it was ok to attack Jett and himself.

The group was down two members as Jett took on three of the remaining members and Roane dealt with the other two. The boy Roane had knocked off to the side was on his feet in a matter of seconds and charging him while another had broken away from the main group to assist. Roane braced himself as the two homophobic teens crashed into him at the same time, activating his semblance and seeing the truth in their movements to better defend himself.

Off to the side Jett currently had two of the boys in headlocks underneath his arms while the third one was being kicked away. With his semblance, Jett was able to keep his foes off-balance as he dealt with each of them. Spinning around with his captives, Jett threw one of the teens into the one that had been kicked away while the other one was lifted into a standing position and head-butted.

Although he was dazed from the attack Jett didn't let it stop him from roughly kicking the teen in his grasp straight in the chest and backwards into the shower area. With another threat down Jett turned to face the two boys who had tumbled together. At this point however they were joined by two new fighters. Jett smirked with only a hint of nervousness about him.

"I'm all for a good brawl but you guys don't think this is overkill?" Jett asked as the quartet charged him.

Before they could clash however all combatants were frozen in place, held by some unseen force.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" an instructor cried out.

The teenagers all looked at one another and offered no explanation.

Roane knew that the others would never admit to being wrong so he took the initiative.

"My friend Jett and I were the ones under attack." Roane answered.

"What started the altercation that put you in a position to be attacked?" the instructor asked releasing the invisible bonds on Roane and allowing the boy to face him.

"That faggot thought it was ok to be a fucking faggot!" one of the boys yelled.

The instructor looked at the teenager in question. The expression on his face was dark and dangerous enough to stop a charging Ursa dead in its tracks.

"What did you just say?" the instructor question with a dangerous tone in his voice.

"Roane is a fag-" the boy was stopped before he could finish the slur as he was slammed face first into the ground.

As the boy was slammed repeatedly Roane noticed that there was thin wire attached to him and everyone else which explained the restraints. After being slammed roughly a dozen times the instructor finished and raised the bruised and bloody student into the air.

"We do not tolerate that kind of language at this academy. Roane Grant and Jett Volus, I want you both to report to the Headmistress office so that this incident can go on record." The instructor told the Team ORCJ members as Jett was also released from his bonds.

The two teens nodded and then went to their lockers and got their clothes out to get dressed before leaving the locker room. Walking towards the headmistress's office Jett began to smile as he playfully shoved Roane. Roane looked at his teammate with a confused expression in response causing Jett to laugh.

"Was that not the greatest thing you've ever done or what?" Jett asked as he laughed.

Roane smiled and shoved Jett back and began laughing alongside him as they continued down the hall.

 _Academy Recreations Hall_

Taz Argent hung around the bulletin board with a couple of other faunus students. The young man was bored and looking for something to do with the group. So far they hadn't found anything exciting. Looking over the various activities Taz pointed to one before one of his friends reached up and grabbed it.

"This is an ad to help clear out a couple of Creeper Grimm packs. Taz you cant be serious." the female who had taken the notice down asked her friend.

"Hey, we are limited to what we can do because of our year and how early the term has started. At least this way we're doing something semi-fun." Taz argued.

The female, who had dog ears just sighed loudly. One of the other faunus students, a large muscled teen with bear ears and a small tail looked at the two of them and snickered.

"Well if you two cant decide, why don't we do this one." he suggested showing the group a notice for helping out at a bakery.

Taz and the other three students in the group all looked at their bear friend with looks of disbelief and disappointment.

"Alright then, moving on." a freckled male with a thick mane around his head and neck stated pulling down two more notices.

"These two are super close to one another and have us doing something cool." he told the group.

"It's cleaning, they want us to fricken clean." the dog-eared female from before spat with a frown.

"Yea but look at the locations, city hall and the combat stadium. Imagine all the neat shit we'll get to see that isn't open to the public." the boy tried to hype up his suggestions.

Taz shook his head in disbelief. Why was it the academy, which was training them to be bad-ass killing machines had opened the extracurricular activities bulletin board to the city for citizens to post various odd jobs? This question never seemed more apparent to him than now as he and his friends looked for something.

There were few activities he could do outside of working with Team MTAL and a lot of these requests allowed him to do them. While he liked his teammates and got along well with them, Taz also felt a bit singled out not only for being the only male but also being a faunus. The discomfort was small and he never let it show, instead he would take some time to himself and hang with other faunus students who could relate to his issue.

As his group was deciding what to do Taz felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and was instantly alerted to danger.

"Get down!" the fox faunus cried out as he and the other faunus dropped to the floor.

Students in the hall who hadn't been in on the attack also dropped. the air was filled with the sound of gunfire but instead of bullets flying they were paintballs. The intended targets had been various groups of faunus students and those unfortunate enough not to have dropped were peppered with the projectiles.

Taz clenched his teeth in anger as he began running towards one of the paintball gun-wielding students. Tackling the person to the ground Taz activated his semblance and sent a current of energy through the person, paralyzing them before taking their weapon and extra ammunition.

"Don't cower in fear. Fight back! Show them our Faunus Pride!" Taz cried out as he opened fire on the anti-faunus students.

The faunus students rallied behind Taz and began to attack their tormentors and were even joined by some of the human students who had been caught in the crossfire. Spinning around Taz pulled his weapons trigger but found it was empty and dove off to the side to reload as paintballs flew all around him. He felt the sting of paintballs hitting his body but didn't let it stop him as he started fighting another student.

Punching the student across the jaw, Taz soon began to wrestle for control of the gun before kneeing the student. Ripping yet another weapon away Taz opened fire on the previous owner until they stopped moving, mostly due from the shock of how many paintballs were fired upon in such a short period of time.

Taz took the time to reload this one before running over towards where his friends were at. he saw that they two had armed themselves and were hiding behind a bulletin board while occasionally returning fire to the other students. By this time it was hard to tell who was being oppressed and who the oppressors were. The sound of paintball guns and occasional cry of pain filled the area as those without weapons made their way to safety and those with continued to fight.

The entire altercation lasted no longer than seven minutes as the headmistress burst into the area causing everyone, human and faunus alike to drop their weapons immediately. The headmistress was livid and if looks could kill, Taz was certain everyone here would be six feet under.

"Clean. This. Up. Now." the older woman spoke in a cold deliberate tone.

The students then sighed in relief, they had thought she was going to do something horrible to them.

"Don't sound to happy, after this i'll still have to punish you all." she told them before turning to leave.

"We should've just gone to the bakery." Taz heard his bear-eared friend say as the headmistress left. The other members of the group looked at him befoire picking up the guns and emptying them on him.

* * *

A/N: Various things that happened that I couldn't find a good place to put in the main story.


End file.
